Favorite thing: On the north side of Pioneers Museum you will see a sculpture of a man and children with pumpkins. This sculpture is dedicated to Dominico (Nick) T. Venetucci (July 23, 1911 ? September 7, 2004).

Born in Papetown, a northern Colorado Springs community, Nick worked in the family orchard and caddied at Patty Jewett and the Broadmoor. His first full-time job was at Blattman Nursery.

At the age 22 he began a baseball career in the New York Yankee Organization. As a catcher he was moved from Class D to Class A in the minor league system. It was then that the Venetucci family bought the ranch. He left baseball at this point to assist the family farm.

Nick won many awards at the State Fair for his farm products. In 1950 he became known as ?The Pumpkin Man.? He received natioanl recognition for this achievement as he served 30,000 young people a year in the great pumpkin giveaway. Many of these youngsters came back to work on the farm and were frequent visitors at the Venetucci?s.

Notoriety of ?The Pumpkin Man? has been given through Reader?s Digest and Charles Kuralt?s book and television series On The Road.